AMD Ryzen 7 4700U vs Intel Atom x7211RE Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data paints a decisive picture: the AMD Ryzen 7 4700U wins every head-to-head comparison recorded in the database, and it does so by overwhelming margins. The Intel Atom x7211RE does not claim a single victory in any shared benchmark test, a clean sweep that leaves little room for interpretation regarding their relative performance tiers.

In the Cinebench R15 multi-core test, the Ryzen 7 4700U scores 1094.5, while the Atom x7211RE manages only 181. This represents an 83.5% deficit for the Intel part, meaning the AMD processor delivers roughly six times the raw multi-threaded performance in this legacy rendering workload. The gap is so large that the Atom's score looks like a rounding error next to the Ryzen's output.

Moving to Cinebench R23 multi-core, the pattern repeats with slightly less severity but still a crushing margin. The Ryzen 7 4700U posts 7378 against the Atom's 1804, a 75.5% difference. In absolute terms, the AMD chip completes the render loop more than four times faster than the Intel chip. This workload is particularly relevant for sustained CPU load, and the data shows the Ryzen 7 4700U has no trouble maintaining its dominance under extended multi-threaded stress.

The single-core Cinebench R23 result is equally lopsided. The Ryzen 7 4700U scores 1220.5, while the Atom x7211RE scores 254, a 79.2% gap. This is notable because single-core performance often reflects architectural efficiency and clock speed potential more directly than multi-core results, which can be influenced by core count and power delivery. Even in a test that favors lighter workloads, the Atom trails by nearly five times.

It is notably the database also contains a Cinebench R20 multi-core score for the Atom x7211RE (757) and a Cinebench R20 single-core score (106), but no corresponding R20 entries for the Ryzen 7 4700U, so those cannot be compared directly. Similarly, the Atom has extensive PassMark results while the Ryzen 7 4700U does not, so cross-comparisons are limited to the three shared tests listed above. However, the available head-to-head data is consistent and unambiguous: the Ryzen 7 4700U outperforms the Atom x7211RE in every measurable shared workload.

Where Each One Wins

Given the head-to-head results, the primary question becomes not whether the Ryzen 7 4700U is faster, but where, if anywhere, the Atom x7211RE holds an advantage. The benchmark data offers no evidence of a performance win for the Intel part in CPU-bound tasks. Instead, the differentiation lies in other characteristics recorded in the database.

The Atom x7211RE wins on power efficiency. Its thermal design power (TDP) is 6 watts, compared to 15 watts for the Ryzen 7 4700U. That is a 60% lower power envelope, which makes the Atom suitable for fanless or passively cooled designs, battery-critical embedded systems, or environments where heat dissipation is a hard constraint. The Ryzen 7 4700U, while far more capable, demands more than double the power budget, which limits its deployment in the most power-constrained scenarios.

The Atom also wins on memory flexibility. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, whereas the Ryzen 7 4700U supports only DDR4. For a system designer targeting newer memory standards or wanting to future-proof a platform, the Atom's broader memory compatibility is a tangible advantage. However, the Ryzen 7 4700U counters with a dual-channel memory bus delivering 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth, versus the Atom's single-channel bus at 38.4 GB/s. For memory-intensive workloads, the Ryzen's higher bandwidth is the more decisive factor.

The Ryzen 7 4700U wins in every performance category that matters for general computing, content creation, and multi-threaded productivity. It has 8 cores and 8 threads versus the Atom's 2 cores and 2 threads. Its boost clock reaches 4.10 GHz versus 3.20 GHz for the Atom. Its integrated graphics, Radeon Graphics 448SP, is a far more capable GPU than the UHD Graphics 16EU found in the Atom, making the Ryzen 7 4700U the clear choice for any workload involving visual output or GPU-accelerated tasks.

In short, the Atom x7211RE is the pick for ultra-low-power, minimal-performance embedded roles. The Ryzen 7 4700U is the pick for anything that expects real computing work to get done.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The Intel Atom x7211RE is built on the Amston Lake architecture using Gracemont cores, which are efficiency-oriented cores designed for low power consumption rather than peak performance. It is manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process node. The Ryzen 7 4700U, by contrast, uses AMD's Zen 2 architecture under the Renoir codename, fabricated by TSMC on a 7 nm process node. The smaller node gives AMD a density and efficiency advantage at the transistor level.

The core counts reflect this divergence. The Atom has 2 cores and 2 threads, meaning no simultaneous multithreading. The Ryzen 7 4700U has 8 cores and 8 threads, also without SMT, but with four times the physical core count. The Ryzen's L1 cache is 64 KB per core, while the Atom has 96 KB per core. However, the Atom's L2 cache is 2 MB shared, whereas the Ryzen has 512 KB per core, which sums to 4 MB across 8 cores. For L3, the Ryzen has 8 MB shared, while the Atom has 6 MB shared. The Ryzen's larger total cache hierarchy, combined with more cores, helps explain its multi-threaded dominance.

The Ryzen 7 4700U also carries 9,800 million transistors on a 156 mm² die, whereas the Atom's die size and transistor count are not recorded in the database. The Ryzen's integrated graphics is Radeon Graphics 448SP, a substantial GPU block, while the Atom's UHD Graphics 16EU is a minimal 16 execution unit design. This difference is reflected in their respective target markets: the Ryzen 7 4700U is a mainstream mobile processor meant to handle everyday computing, light gaming, and media tasks, while the Atom x7211RE is aimed at industrial, embedded, or low-power appliance roles.

The socket types also differ: the Atom uses Intel BGA 1264, while the Ryzen uses AMD Socket FP6. Neither is socketed for user upgrade, but the platforms are entirely incompatible. The Atom supports PCIe Gen 3 with 9 lanes (CPU only), while the Ryzen supports PCIe Gen 3 without a lane count specified for the CPU. Both lack ECC memory support.

Specification Differences

The two processors diverge on nearly every specification field where data exists. The most glaring difference is core count: 2 cores for the Atom versus 8 cores for the Ryzen 7 4700U. Thread counts mirror cores at 2 and 8 respectively. Base clocks are dramatically different, with the Atom at 1.00 GHz and the Ryzen at 2000.00 MHz, which is 2.00 GHz. Boost clocks also favor AMD: 3.20 GHz for the Atom versus 4.10 GHz for the Ryzen.

TDP is the one category where the Atom leads, at 6 watts versus 15 watts. Process node favors the Ryzen at 7 nm versus 10 nm for the Atom. Memory support differs: the Atom accepts both DDR4 and DDR5, while the Ryzen accepts only DDR4. Memory bus width also differs, with the Atom having a single-channel bus and the Ryzen having dual-channel. Memory bandwidth is 38.4 GB/s for the Atom and 51.2 GB/s for the Ryzen.

The integrated GPUs are very different: UHD Graphics 16EU for the Atom versus Radeon Graphics 448SP for the Ryzen. The Ryzen has a larger L3 cache (8 MB versus 6 MB) and a per-core L2 design (512 KB per core) versus the Atom's shared 2 MB L2. L1 cache is 96 KB per core on the Atom versus 64 KB per core on the Ryzen. The Ryzen is a 4000 series part, while the Atom has no series designation. The Ryzen has a listed transistor count and die size; the Atom does not. The Ryzen was released earlier (January 2020) than the Atom (April 2024). The Atom has a launch MSRP of $42, while the Ryzen has no recorded launch MSRP in the database.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in multi-core workloads?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 4700U is far faster. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, it scores 7378 versus 1804 for the Intel Atom x7211RE, a 75.5% difference. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Ryzen scores 1094.5 versus 181, an 83.5% gap.

Q: Does the Intel Atom x7211RE have any performance advantage at all?

A: In the shared benchmark tests recorded in the database, no. The Atom loses all three head-to-head tests. Its advantages are limited to power draw (6 watts TDP versus 15 watts) and memory flexibility (supports DDR4 and DDR5 versus DDR4 only).

Q: How does single-core performance compare?

A: The Ryzen 7 4700U leads by a large margin. In Cinebench R23 single-core, it scores 1220.5 versus 254 for the Atom, a 79.2% difference. The Atom's lower boost clock (3.20 GHz versus 4.10 GHz) contributes to this gap.

Q: Which processor has better integrated graphics?

A: The Ryzen 7 4700U. It features Radeon Graphics 448SP, while the Atom has UHD Graphics 16EU. The Ryzen's GPU has substantially more shader processors, indicating far greater graphical capability.

Q: Which processor is more power efficient?

A: The Atom x7211RE, with a TDP of 6 watts compared to 15 watts for the Ryzen 7 4700U. This makes the Atom better suited for passively cooled or battery-critical systems, though at a significant performance cost.

Q: Do both processors support ECC memory?

A: No. Neither the Intel Atom x7211RE nor the AMD Ryzen 7 4700U supports ECC memory according to the database.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Ryzen 7 4700U is the superior processor for almost any computing task that requires actual performance. It wins every shared benchmark by margins ranging from 75.5% to 83.5%, offers four times the core count, a higher boost clock, more memory bandwidth, and a substantially more capable integrated GPU. For general-purpose laptops, content creation, multitasking, or any workload that benefits from multiple cores, the Ryzen 7 4700U is the only rational choice between these two.

The Intel Atom x7211RE is not without its niche. Its 6 watt TDP, support for both DDR4 and DDR5, and low cost (launch MSRP of $42) make it suitable for embedded systems, industrial controllers, fanless appliances, or other ultra-low-power scenarios where performance is secondary to energy consumption and thermal constraints. Its 51st percentile ranking among all CPUs, compared to the Ryzen's 50th, suggests that in average benchmark scores across the database, the two are far closer than the head-to-head results imply, but that is because the Atom's PassMark scores (such as 20820 in data compression and 4303 in floating point math) are not matched with equivalent Ryzen data points. The head-to-head tests, which are directly comparable, show a massive gulf.

Choose the Ryzen 7 4700U if you need a capable mobile CPU for real work. Choose the Atom x7211RE only if your design priorities are minimal power draw, memory standard flexibility, and cost, and you can tolerate drastically lower performance. There is no middle ground in the recorded data.